Protection of the Fittest
by Shi-Toyu
Summary: The fourth in my Emotions series. Tony is Clint's best friend, one of his only friends. After all, its hard to make friends when you're job is killing people. So when it comes to Tony's relationship with Loki, Clint has his reservations. When he confronts Loki, the God has a few opinions of the matter. FrostIron! Sequel to Finding Courage.


A/N: Clint's part is here! I know several of you were really looking forward to this one. Special thanks to user zombified419 for the wonderful conversation! To anyone bothering to read this, check out the Avenger's fic on her page, it's quite good though just getting started!

Protection of the Fittest

Clint scowled as he watched Loki move across their communal floor. He didn't like the god's presence in the tower, or on Earth in general really. If it'd been up to him, he'd have put an arrow through Loki's eye as soon as they had the invasion under control. Unfortunately for the archer, that would have started a war with Asgard and his superiors didn't like the sound of that.

And, honestly, Clint probably could have lived with that decision…except then Loki came back. He'd escaped from punishment on Asgard in a matter of mere months and reappeared on Earth to wreak havoc. Granted, it was mostly low-level stuff that was simply inconveniencing to them, but it was the principle of the matter. Thor had returned as well to capture his brother and take him back to Asgard, but it hadn't really gone to plan. All in all, it left Clint feeling wholly unsatisfied.

Then they had found out Loki had somehow wormed his way into a relationship with Tony. If nothing else, he resented the god for that. Tony was his friend, pretty much his only friend, really. Clint had spent his entire life as an assassin and secret agent and the lifestyle didn't exactly leave a lot of time for forging personal relationships.

There was Natasha, of course, but that relationship had so much baggage and hidden subtext that he wasn't even sure what it actually counted as anymore. He trusted Steve with his life, but they didn't exactly have the personalities to hang out. The same went for Bruce. Thor was fun, but there was no real connection there. He and Tony, though, they had something.

That something was probably why he was so bent out of shape over this development with Loki. He didn't like the thought of losing his best friend, especially not to a guy who'd played around with his brain. And, more than that, he didn't want to see Tony get hurt.

It was more than clear that Tony was head over heels for Loki. Whatever had happened to bring them together, it had been impactful. Unfortunately, Clint didn't trust so strongly had Loki cared quite as much for him. Loki obviously cared for Tony, it was just a matter of how deeply he cared. The archer couldn't stand the thought of Loki just up and deciding one day that he'd grown bored and leaving in search of some new toy. Tony deserved better than that.

Pressing his lips tightly together, Clint crossed the living room to where Loki had settled in an armchair with a book. He took a seat on the sofa adjacent to the god and leveled him with a serious gaze. Loki didn't even bother looking up, instead just flipping another page.

"May I help you, Barton, or do you simply wish to stare at me for the remainder of the day?"

Clint grit his teeth but forced himself to control his irritation. It wouldn't help anything to let Loki get under his skin.

"What, exactly, are your intentions for Tony Stark?"

_That_ made the god look up, both eyebrow rising as he blinked once in surprise. Whatever he'd been expecting, that wasn't it.

"My intentions?"

"Yes. What does this relationship you have with him mean to you?"

Loki gazed at him a moment longer before turning back to his book.

"I'm quite sure that's none of your business."

Suddenly, Clint found himself on his feet, fists balled up in rage but still at his sides.

"You treated my head like a fucking jungle gym and he's my _best friend_. So, yeah, it is my business what you have planned for him."

The sigh that escaped Loki's lips sounded very put upon and it only served to make Clint more furious. Seriously, could this guy not act like everyone else was scum for _one minute_? His gaze found the archer's once more.

"I feel a deep attachment to Tony and I have no intentions of separating myself from him for quite some time. Does that satisfy you?"

Not in the slightest.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Loki rolled his eyes.

"Perhaps because you asked? Why ask someone a question if you have no intentions of believing their response? It rather defeats the purpose, don't you think? I might as well tell you we plan to run away together and raise elephants in rural Africa, forsaking all modern-day comforts."

Clint scoffed.

"Tony would never be able to go without his technology."

He counted the glare he received for that comment as a win.

"That's hardly the point."

"You're right." The archer sank back into his seat. "The point is you can't be trusted, much less with Tony. If you hurt him, for any reason, be warned that I _will_ kill you."

The threat was not an idle one. Clint had always been more protective of others than he had been of himself. Loki, though, just seemed exasperated. He snapped his book shut and set it on the arm of his chair.

"I do not understand why you all seem so set on defending him. Anthony is a grown man and quite capable of looking after himself and making his own decisions."

"I'm not saying he isn't. You just happen to be a very dangerous 'ex-criminal'," he made air-quotes with his fingers, "who showed up out of the blue and seems a little too comfortable for my liking. Now, I might believe that you aren't controlling his mind, but that doesn't mean you aren't manipulating him in some other way…or that you don't plan to in the future."

A grin slowly spread across Loki's face, all traces of irritation gone.

"Oh, yes. I can see how you would need to be concerned about my toying with poor, naïve Anthony. He is so gullible, after all. He's practically a _reckling. _Nigh defenseless, even."

Clint felt like he'd suddenly picked up all the irritation Loki had discarded. When he spoke, his voice came out as a growl.

"I will not let you hurt him."

Loki just laughed.

"You poor _daufi_. How foolish you are to believe that Anthony Stark would fall so easily victim to even my plotting. Can you not see that he is, by far, the more dangerous of us?"

Clint's brow furrowed in confusion, and not just by Loki's use of Old Norse.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, mortal. What would it mean for your world if Anthony decided he had no wish to be a hero. If things had gone differently and he had chosen a darker path, would even your team stand a chance?"

The archer blinked, but stood his ground.

"Of course, the suit wouldn't be that much of a proble-"

Loki cut him off.

"Ah, but it would not just be the suit you would be facing. Anthony is formidable as Iron Man, but that is not where his true danger dwells. He is favored by your media. Even during the brief period when the public was not sure how to handle his sexuality, there was not a single news program who dared condemn him without an opposing argument. Even then, the one speaking out against him was a guest on the show, not one of their own."

"What, you're saying he would win because he looks good on camera?"

"Of course not. I am saying he would have a distinct advantage because he knows how to handle a public image. It would be an easy thing for him to destroy someone else's image even while promoting his own. He is, after all, the one who handles the public image for your team currently."

"No, Pepper does that."

"Pepper, who works for Tony. Her loyalty to him runs deep and you can rest assured she would follow him straight to the gates of Hell if that's where he was heading. But she does bring up a rather excellent point, that of Stark Industries."

"Another asset to Tony's hypothetical 'Reign of Terror.'"

Loki considered this for a moment.

"I rather think the world would never actually know it was being ruled, but I suppose the term would not be wholly inaccurate. You are certainly right about it being an asset, though. Stark Industries is the most technologically advanced company on this planet and, honestly, on any of the other realms as well. It also had its fingers in quite a few pies. If you follow the branches, you will find that it owns a great number of smaller companies, staking a major claim to almost every industry. Anthony Stark holds the world's economy in the palm of his hand, should he just reach out and claim it."

A picture was starting to form in Clint's mind, and it wasn't exactly a pretty one. Did Tony really have that much power? It was almost unthinkable…almost.

"Then there are, of course, all of the weapons from Stark Industries."

"They got out of the weapons business."

Clint needed to stop this somewhere, to break through Loki's assessment.

"Oh, yes. I'm quite aware. But do you honestly believe that Anthony did not ensure a remote detonator was in each of his missiles? What if one had been turned against him? He'd need to be able to remove the threat. He personally designed every one of the weapons sold by his company. It stands to reason he would know all of their weaknesses."

By this time, Clint was quite uncomfortable. He cleared his throat before speaking up.

"SHIELD would be there to stop him."

"And here I was under the impression you were intelligent, Barton. Exactly how long do you expect SHIELD to last if Anthony were to say, release a destructive computer virus into their systems and withdraw his funding? Fury has made many attempts to hack into Anthony's files, all unsuccessful, yet Anthony has had quite the success rate in doing the reverse. By my calculations, they would cease to be a threat within a week, possibly two."

In his mind's eye, Clint could see it happening. With their systems down, SHIELD would be forced to scramble. If he threw in a way of scrambling their communications, and Clint was sure Tony could do it, it would be game over for Fury. There would be pockets of resistance and they would still be a thorn in Tony's side, but it would be more like a splinter than anything really threatening.

He looked over to see Loki grinning at him. Apparently, the god could see his putting the pieces together. Still, Clint didn't want to see that possibility. He shook his head and glared at Loki.

"Tony would never be able to stomach that kind of thing."

"Oh, he wouldn't be able to stomach that, yet he can stomach being a hero? He's done some rather gritty things as Iron Man already, if you care to remember. After all, Iron Man only exists because Anthony survived torture and captivity for months while building the suit, wandered the desert, and managed kill a large portion of a terrorist organization with flame throwers. And we should probably completely disregard the fact that he then returned here, discovered the entire thing was set up by a man he was as a father figure and that he then _killed that man_. Personally, I think this realm should be rather glad things didn't turn out differently."

Clint was silent for several long moments, mulling over everything Loki had said. The god simply watched him in silence, not turning back to his book as Clint might have expected. When he finally spoke, his tone was not angry, but it was definitely not happy, either.

"Is that your plan, then? You're going to try and turn Tony evil?"

The archer's heart clenched at the thought. He did not want to fight his friend. Loki just sighed.

"Do you believe a man that dangerous would be so easily manipulated? Eventually, Barton, you are going to have to learn to trust that man with himself."

"I trust _him_, I just don't trust _you_."

"And right you are for doing so. It would be a mistake to place your trust in someone with my particular track record."

"At least you're aware."

"Believe me, Barton. My actions are not ones I am soon to forget."

Clint eyed his suspiciously, weighing his words.

"For what it is worth, I do believe you care for Tony."

Loki nodded, but kept his emotions hidden.

"I do."

"I don't want to see you lose interest and him end up getting hurt."

Unlike the earlier, sharp accusations, this one was spoken in a softer tone. In response, Loki's expression softened, too.

"I do not often give my word, Hawk, for such a thing is binding even to one such as I. However, I will give it to you in this. I swear to you my interest in Tony is neither fleeting nor short lived. He will not come to harm, physically or emotionally, so long as I have a say in the matter." He held Clint's gaze steadily. "I love him."

The intensity of his gave had the archer shifting uncomfortably, but he nodded sharply.

"Good. Then you and I don't have a problem."

Loki's eyebrows were up again in surprise.

"We don't?"

Clint stood and turned away from the god.

"Tony is my friend and, as long as you make him happy, I'm fine with this…whatever it is you have. But I'll be the first one to put an arrow in your skull if anything changes."

Loki smiled languidly and rested his chin on one long-fingered hand, elbow on the armrest. He really did treat every seat he took as a throne.

"I do believe you will the only one to try. Arrows aren't nearly so common a weapon these days." Clint's face darkened but Loki continued before he had the chance to speak. "I understand what you mean to say, though. And, Barton, should ever the need arise," Clint turned back to make eye contact with him, "aim well."

There was another nod from the archer before he turned to leave the room.

"I will."

A/N: And so Clint and Loki form a tentative friendship! I think these two are so great together, though they have a lot of issues to get through. I'd like to write more about them sometime. Hope you all enjoyed and please remember to review! (It means the world to me, really.)


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